This apple salad recipe is delicious and refreshing! Fresh, peppery greens, crisp apples, and sharp white cheddar cheese combine perfectly with crunchy, spiced walnuts tossed in a bright, vibrant citrus dressing. Vegan-adaptable and gluten-free.
I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.
Anne Lamott
Why You’ll Love Our Apple Salad
This Apple Salad recipe was on the menu from the start at our vegetarian restaurant. A few decades later, it is still on the menu at Mizuna!
As a chef, what pleases me most when it comes to salad, besides flavor, is its texture! And this salad truly excels in the texture department. Crunchy walnuts, crisp apples, soft white cheddar, chewy crasins offer up incredible mouthfeel!
The combination of crisp, tart apples and sharp cheddar cheese creates a refreshing flavor that perfectly balances sweet and savory. Tossed with a light citrus vinaigrette and topped with crunchy walnuts, each bite offers a satisfying texture that our customers and guests have always adored.
Apple Salad Ingredients
- Apples: Choose your favorite! We like sweet, tart, crisp apples like Honeycrisp, gala, fuji, Cortland, and Pink Lady apples.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Don’t buy shredded cheese for this. Use a block of good, aged, sharp white cheddar and cut it into small cubes. Vegan cheddar works too!
- Walnuts: Or use pecans, hazelnuts or pumpkin seeds. Toasted and spiced with cinnamon, these add an irresistible, sweet, nutty crunch.
- Lettuce mix: A mesclun mix or spring mix with peppery greens is best here, such as arugula, mizuna, and cress.
- Scallions: Add a punchy, aromatic crunch to the salad to balance the sweet, tart flavors. Feel free to sube red onions.
- Dried cranberries: Dried currants or fresh pomegranates can be substituted or added too!
- Pure maple syrup: Give the walnuts sweetness and help the delicious spices stick to them.
- Spices: Cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, and pinch salt coat the walnuts, giving them a warm, cozy flavor.
- Orange juice, orange zest, and lemon juice: For the vibrant, citrusy dressing.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The base of the dressing.
- Honey: To balance the acidity in the dressing and add sweetness.
- Shallot: Finely minced shallot gives the dressing an aromatic, savory balance.
- Dijon mustard: For a tangy, pungent taste that elevates the dressing.
How to Make Apple Salad
1. Prepare the nuts. Preheat oven to 325F. Mix walnuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, and salt together in a small bowl. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading them out evenly, and bake 10-15 minutes. Stir halfway. When done, they should be glazed and toasty. Remove from the oven and immediately stir with a fork to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Let cool completely. This step can be done in advance!
2. Make the citrus dressing. In a jar or bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredeints: orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, shallot, dijon, kosher salt, and black pepper. You should have about 2/3 cup dressing. Save what you don’t use!
3. Assemble the salad. While prepping, toss the sliced apples in a couple of teaspoons of dressing to prevent browning. In a large bowl, toss the salad greens with 3 tablespoons of dressing. Layer or scatter the cheese, apples, scallions, cranberries, and walnuts. Serve immediately.
Variations
- Use pears: Thinly sliced pear could work in this salad too!
- Try pecans or hazelnuts: Either work in place of the walnuts. Nut allergy, try pumpkin seeds.
- Add roasted winter squash: Top the salad with our Roasted Butternut Squash!
- Serve it as a main dish with sliced baked chicken breast, or blackened salmon.
Chef’s Tips
- Make the cinnamon walnuts ahead of time: Save on prep time by doing this step a day or two ahead of time.
- Zest the orange before juicing it: It’s much easier this way!
- Keep sliced apples fresh: While prepping, add them to a bowl with a little dressing to prevent browning.
- Be generous with black pepper: This really complements the fruit elements in the salad.
Storing Apple Salad with Walnuts
This salad is best enjoyed immediately. If you plan to have leftovers for the next day, keep the dressing separate and don’t mix it in before serving. You may still want to toss the apples in a little dressing to keep them crisp and fresh, or simply slice new apples the next day.
The dressing will keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Apple Salad Serving Suggestions
This Apple Cheddar Salad makes a colorful and festive starter to your holiday meal but is delicious any time of year! See our 65 Vegetarian Thanksgiving Menu Ideas for lots of entrées and side dishes to pair with the salad! We love this salad with:
- Butternut and Apple Soup
- Broccoli Quinoa Cakes
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Pumpkin Pasta
- Butternut Squash Gratin
- Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Pumpkin Pasta
FAQs
Yes! Apples and sharp cheddar are a natural pairing. Experiment with different apple varieties to find your favorite one.
Use a crisp apple like Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady.
Once you slice the apples, toss them with a couple teaspoons of the citrus dressing to prevent browning.
Hope you enjoy our Apple Salad! Let us know what you think in the comments! xo
More Winter Salad Recipes
Apple Salad with White Cheddar and Walnuts
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Salad, Holiday, Thanksgiving
- Method: Tossing
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
Spiced Walnuts
- 1 cup walnuts (or use pecans or hazelnuts)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salt to taste
Citrus Dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon shallot, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper- adjust to taste! *see notes
Apple Cheddar Salad
- 6 ounces lettuce mix- peppery greens are a good addition here: arugula, mizuna, cress
- 1/2 heaping cup of sharp white cheddar cheese, finely cubed
- 2 medium apples, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, minced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or currants or fresh pomegranate seeds)
- 1/2 cup spiced walnuts (above)
Instructions
- Make the spiced walnuts. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a small bowl toss the walnuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, and salt to taste. Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through. You want to get them glazed and toasty. Remove from the oven, and immediately stir with a fork- this keeps them from adhering to the pan. Let them cool completely. You can do this ahead!
- Make the citrus dressing. Whisk together orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, shallot, dijon, salt and black pepper. (This makes 2/3 cup. You will have dressing left over.)
- Make the salad. Toss the sliced apples in a couple teaspoons of dressing to keep them from going brown while prepping. In your serving bowl toss the salad greens with 3 tablespoons of dressing or just enough to coat. Arrange or scatter cheese, apples, scallions, cranberries, and walnuts over the greens. Drizzle a few more tablespoons of dressing over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
Vegan adaption: Use a block of vegan cheddar cheese and swap out the honey in the dressing with maple syrup.
Apples: Use Honey crisp apples, gala apples, fuji, Cortland, Pink lady, granny smith apples, or any crunchy apple with a sweet-tart flavor.
This can be prepped ahead. Package all ingredients separately- cut the apple just before serving. A very popular potluck salad!
Tip: Black pepper really compliments the fruit in this salad! Adjust to your liking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 13.8 g
- Sodium: 136.4 mg
- Fat: 14.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 10.9 mg
This was a terrific Thanksgiviing salad. For the dressing, I omitted the shallot and mustard out of personal preference. For the amazingly yummy spiced nuts, I used pecans. For the greens, I used baby kale leaves. We served our salad alongside a vegetarian shepherds pie, and it was truly a refreshing, crunchy, citrusy compliment to the pie. Love your recipes!
Wonderful Dana, glad you made it work!
Had this with Thanksgiving and the bitter/crunchy/tart flavors were the perfect counterpoint to the meat and carb-leaden meal!
(I used half walnuts and half hazelnuts, which I’d highly recommend). This salad is so good I will definitely be making it on repeat not just at Thanksgiving
Great to hear Peggy! Thanks so much for the review.
Loved the dressing and salad!
Awesome Darlene! Thanks for letting us know.